His 2012 book, “A Higher Call”, showcased the remarkable story of WWII German fighter pilot Franz Stigler who intercepted a heavily damaged USAAF B-17 bomber over Europe and escorted the wounded crew to safety. Makos had built a minor literary schtick from interviewing veterans of WWII and Korea and telling their stories in his magazine, “Valor” prior to hitting it big with “Devotion”. Author Adam Makos holds a photo of Ensign Jesse Leroy Brown, the character who inspired the film “DEVOTION”. The book went on to become a significant hit, climbing to popular literary best seller lists and earning a remarkable 1,613 five-star ratings on Amazon. Makos authored the 2017 book, “Devotion: An Epic Story of Heroism, Friendship, and Sacrifice”. Thomas Jerome Hudner Jr., is also fascinating. (Photo: via Wikipedia)Īdditionally, the story behind the story, or how author Adam Makos came to curate the heroic attempted rescue story of Ensign Jesse Leroy Brown and Capt. The real Ensign Jesse Leroy Brown, the character who inspired the film “DEVOTION”.

The film “Devotion” showcases the obstacles presented to Ensign Brown by racism during the era. Army Air Forces by a decade after they started the 332nd Fighter Wing, the “Tuskegee Airmen” in 1940.

Navy was slow to adopt racial integration of fighter pilots and followed the U.S. He overcame poverty and entrenched barriers to become The U.S. military’s highest award for valor, for his attempt to rescue Ensign Brown.īut like all great stories, there are two additional sub-plots to the story behind “Devotion”.įirstly, Ensign Jesse Leroy Brown was the very first African-American U.S. Hudner was eventually award the Medal of Honor, the U.S. Thomas Jerome Hudner Jr., crash-landed his own F4U corsair in an attempt to rescue Ensign Brown. Although Brown did not survive the ordeal, his wingman, U.S. After 20 successful combat missions over Korea, Ensign Brown was shot down on December 4, 1950. Navy F4U Corsair pilot from (then) VF-32 flying from the aircraft carrier USS Leyte (CV-32) during the Korean conflict in 1950. “Devotion” is the based-on-fact story of the dramatic rescue attempt of Ensign Jesse Leroy Brown, a U.S.

A higher call